Partition mounted container



Sept. 6, 1966 w. s. LOUCHHEIM PARTITION MOUNTED CONTAINER 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 18, 1964 INVENTOR.

BY MAHONEK. HALBEET &

HORNE/KER A rrae/vsys P 1956 I w. s. LOUCHHEIM 3,270,957

PARTITION MOUNTED CONTAINER Filed May 18, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. l V/LL/AM 5. LOUCHHE/M HOPA/BAKEE B Y Y film/0M5); HALE Arraeue'ys Sept. 6, 1966 w. s. LOUCHHEIM PARTITION MOUNTED CONTAINER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 18, 1964 INVENTOR. M/ILLIAM .5: LOUCHl/E/M BY MAI/0N5), HALQEET 8:

Ha ens/1x52 United States Patent 3,270,957 PARTITION MOUNTED CONTAINER William S. Louchheim, Beverly Hills, Calif., assignor to The Bobrick Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 18, 1964, Ser. No. 368,234

4 Claims. (Cl. 232-432) This invention relates to a partition mounted container and, more particularly, to a partition mounted container adapted to be mounted in a relatively thin partition to facilitate access to the interior of the container from both sides of the partition.

It is well known to those skilled in the art that prefabricated, relatively thin partitions are frequently utilized as dividing walls between various types of enclosures in washrooms and the like and, to facilitate the consideration of the invention, it will be described as embodied in a variety of containers particularly adapted for use in conjunction with such partitions.

In the past, it has been customary to treat such partitions as conventional bearing wall structures and to mount conventional containers on opposite sides of the partitions. Consequently, the duplication of containers adapted to identical use has hitherto been thought necessary.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a partition mounted container which is adapted to be mounted in a corresponding opening extending through the partition to facilitate the utilization thereof.

Obviously, the partition mounted container of the invention can be fabricated in a wide variety of different configurations and for a wide variety of different functions, but it will be described hereinbelow as embodied in a toilet seat cover dispenser and receptacle for catamenial devices.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a partition mounted container which is characterized by the provision of a first frame member adapted to be mounted in operative relationship with an opening extending through the partition, the first frame member having a receptacle mounted thereupon and supported thereby within said opening, the interior of said receptacle being accessible to both sides of the partition. Therefore, the necessity for the utilization of two containers on opposite sides of a partition is eliminated and it is possible to service both sides of the partition with a single container.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a container of the aforementioned character which has a receptacle incorporating a removable portion adapted to receive discarded catamenial devices, and which has access openings in both side's thereof adapted to facilitate access to the interior of the removable portion of the receptacle.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a container for the reception of various types of articles which is adapted to be mounted in a through-opening in a partition and which incorporates a receptacle supported from one side of said opening, said receptacle having access openings in the opposite sides thereof to facilitate access to the interior of the receptacle and the receptacle being associated with frame members adapted to locate it in said through-opening.

In the embodiment of the invention adapted for utilization as a toilet seat cover dispenser, the receptacle incorporates access openings in the opposite sides thereof and a loading door adapted to facilitate the insertion of toilet seat cover packages into the receptacle from the loading door side.

Because of the relatively compact character of the partition mounted containers of the invention, it is pos- Patented Sept. 6, 1966 sible to mount them in juxtaposition to each other in adjacent openings in a partition to facilitate the sequential or conjoint use of said containers from opposite sides of the partition.

It is also contemplated that a single container be provided which will perform a plurality of functions, that is, for instance, serve both as a receptacle for catamenial devices and a toilet seat cover dispenser. Other objects and advantages of the invention Will be apparent from the following specification and the accompanying drawings, which are for the purpose of illustration only and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of one side of a partition showing a plurality of partition mounted containers of the invention mounted in corresponding through-openings in a partition;

FIG. 2 is a vertical, sectional view taken on the broken line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary, sectional view showing an alternate manner in which the partition mounted containers of the invention may be mounted in the associated partition;

FIG. 4 is an isometric fragmentary view illustrating a partition mounted container adapted to receive discarded catamenial devices;

FIG. 5 is a view of the container of FIG. 4 from the opposite side thereof;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of certain of the components of the container of FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 7 is a vertical, sectional view taken on the broken line 77 of FIG. 4, with the removable portion of the receptacle removed;

FIG. 8 is a vertical, sectional view of the removable portion of the receptacle;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the partition mounted container shown in fragmentary cross section; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary, partially sectional view of a portion of another embodiment of the partition mounted container of the invention.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, I show a conventional stall partition 10 which is adapted to be mounted upon supporting standards 12 to serve as a divider between various types of enclosures such as those usually encountered in washrooms and the like. Such partitions may be fabricated from enamelcoated pressed wood or from metal panels incorporating a fibrous filler.

Mounted in through-openings 14 and 16, respectively, are a toilet seat cover dispenser 20 and a receptacle 30 for catamenial devices constituting embodiments of the partition mounted container of the invention. Of course, the through-openings 14 and 16 have dimensions corresponding closely to the dimensions of the containers to be mounted therein so that a relatively snug affixation of the containers in operative relationship to the associated partition may be achieved.

The toilet seat cover dispenser 20 includes, as best shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, a substantially rectangular sheet metal receptacle 42, said receptacle having top and bottom walls 44 and 46 and end walls 48, only one of which is shown in the drawings. Operatively secured in encompassing relationship with the receptacle 42 is a first rectangular frame member 52, which is of rightangular configuration and which has its inner legs 54 welded, or otherwise secured, to the corresponding adjacent portions of the top and bot-tom walls 44 and 46 and the end walls 48.

Therefore, the receptacle 42 can be inserted in the associated opening 14 and maintained in operative relationship therewith 'by locating the exposed legs 56 of the first frame member 52 in overlying relationship with the portion of the partition adjacent the opening 14. Screws 58 or similar fasteners can then be driven through corresponding openings in the exposed legs 56 to secure the first frame member in operative relationship with the partition 10.

A second frame member 62 is then disposed in encompassing relationship with the receptacle 42 on the other side of the partition 10. The second frame mem- 'ber 62 includes legs 64 located in the opening 14 and exposed legs 66 overlying the partition 10 adjacent the opening 14. Screws 58 receive the second frame member 62 in operative engagement with the partition 10.

It will be noted that, as best shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the openings in the first and second frame members may be laterally displaced with reference to each other so that the innermost extremities of the screws 58 will not engage each other when the first and second frame members are mounted in partitions of relatively thin cross section. Of course, the openings may also be aligned, if the thickness of the partition 10 is suflicient.

The receptacle is provided at the right-hand side thereof, as best shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, with side wall 70 incorporating an access opening 72 and welded, or otherwise secured, to adjacent surfaces of the interior of the receptacle 42 by means of integral flanges 74. Hingedly secured at the left-hand side of the receptacle 42, as by means of a hinge 76, is an access or loading door 78 which incorporates an access opening 82, and a lock 84 having a bolt 86 engagea'ble with a keeper 88 in the interior of the receptacle 42.

Therefore, access may be had to the interior of the toilet seat cover dispenser through the access openings 72 and 82, respectively. Incorporated in the interior of the receptacle 42 are oppositely disposed leaf springs 94 which serve to urge packages of toilet seat covers, not shown, disposed within the receptacle 42 adjacent the side wall 70 and loading door 78 into contiguity to the interior surfaces of said side wall 70 and loading door 78 to insure that the contents of said packages will be available to the users of the receptacle 42 through the access openings 72 and 82.

An alternative expedient for mounting the toilet seat cover dispenser in operative relationship with the partition 10 is illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings wherein the partition 10 is illustrated as incorporating a plurality of bores 86 having threaded binding posts 88 mounted therein adapted to receive correspondingly threaded fastening screws 89 which are located in corresponding countersunk openings in the frames 52' and 62'. For this purpose, and when the partitions are thick enough so that the innermost extremities of the screws 58 would not engage each other, the frame 62 is rotated 180 so that the openings in the first and second frame members 52 and 62, if laterally displaced, will match each other.

A container 30 for catamenial devices is illustrated in FIGS. 4-7 of the drawings as being mounted in a through-opening 16 in the partition 10 and as being constituted by a receptacle 100 which is of generally rectangular configuration and includes a relatively narrow top wall 102, a wider bottom wall 104, and end walls 106. The end walls 106 taper at their upper extremities and are substantially frustoconical in side elevation. Access doors 108 are provided in access openings 112 to permit catamenial devices to be deposited in the interior of the container 30 from both sides thereof.

The receptacle 100 includes a side wall 114 at the left-hand side thereof, as viewed in FIG. 7 of the drawings, and incorporates a removable portion 120 in the general form of a rectangular box 122 which has a front wall 124 incorporating a finger opening 126 adapted to facilitate the grasping of the box 122 to permit it to be removed with ease from the interior of the receptacle 100. Therefore, when catamenial devices are deposited through the access openings 112, they are received into the interior of the box 122 in a paper sack,'or similar bag, and the box 122 may be readily removed from operative relationship with the receptacle 100 to permit it to be emptied by removal of the sack.

Protrusions 128 are formed in the side walls of the box 122 which act as friction elements to insure that the box 122 will be firmly located within the confines of the receptacle 100, and to prevent the box 122 from being inadvertently dislodged from operative relationship with the receptacle 100.

Welded, or otherwise operatively secured to the receptacle 100 in encompassing relationship therewith, is a first frame member 130 which mounts the receptacle 100 in operative relationship with the partition 10 by means of mounting screws 132 located in corresponding openings in the first frame member 120. Also associated with the receptacle 100 is a second frame member 140 which encompasses the opposite side of the receptacle 100 and is correspondingly secured in operative relationship with the partition 10 by the utilization of screws 132. The staggering of the screws 132 to permit them to be utilized in relatively thin partitions is illustrated in FIG. 7 of the drawings.

Operatively secured to the top wall 102 within the receptacle are leaf springs 144 whose opposite extremities engage in the inner surfaces of the access doors 108 urging them outwardly so that the lower extremities thereof continually bear upon adjacent portions of the receptacle 100. Therefore, the access doors 108 are maintained continuously in closed positions but can be readily deflected against the bias of the springs 144 to permit access to be had to the interior of the receptacle 100.

While the utilization of first and second frame members to mount the containers of the invention in operative relationship with the corresponding partitions has been disclosed, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that alternative methods of mounting the containers of the invention in operative relationship with the associated partition may be utilized without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Illustrated in FIG. 9 of the drawings is another embodiment of the container of the invention constituted by a container for catamenial devices which is similar in all respects to the previously discussed container 30 with the modification that the container 150 is provided with a top wall 152 of substantially the same dimensions as the bottom wall of the receptacle 154 in which it is embodied. Therefore, instead of providing side walls having tapered upper extremities, the side walls 156 of the receptacle 154 are substantially rectangular and the access doors 158 are disposed in vertical positions.

Still another modification of the container of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 10 of the drawings wherein a container 160 for catamenial devices is shown as embodied in a receptacle 162 having an extension provided on its top wall which constitutes a shelf 164 which maybe utilized for a variety of different purposes.

There is thus provided by my invention a container adapted to be mounted in a through opening in a partition and to serve individuals on both sides of the partition. Therefore, the necessity for the utilization of separate containers, as has been previously necessary, has been eliminated by my invention. In addition, it is possible to service the containers from one side of the partition thus reducing by half the time customarily entailed in the servicing of conventional partition mounted containers.

Moreover, the, first and second frame members permit the containers of the invention to be installed in partitions of different thicknesses.

I claim:

1. In a partition mounted container for location in an opening formed in a relatively thin partition, the combination of: a box-like receptacle having a substantially Q Qs hollow interior, said receptacle being formed by horizontal, transversely extending top and bottom walls and vertical, transversely extending end walls with vertically extending sidewalls connected to the transverse extremities of the top and bottom and end walls, the sidewalls being of substantially equal dimensions and being positioned by the top and bottom and end walls substantially transversely aligned, said receptacle being mounted with said top and bottom and end walls extending transversely through the partition opening and transversely beyond the sides of the partition, said receptacle sidewalls being spaced transversely outwardly of said partition sides and thereby fully exposed; frame means operably connected between said receptacle and said partition for supporting said receptacle in said mounted position extending through said partition opening, said frame means including first and second frame members, said first frame member having a leg secured to said receptacle within said partition opening and a leg overlying one of said partition sides, said second frame member having a leg slidably engaged with said receptacle within said partition opening and a leg overlying the other of said partition sides; access opening means formed through each of said receptacle sidewalls at upper portions of said sidewalls and providing access to said receptacle interior, said access opening means of one sidewall being substantially transversely aligned with the access opening means of said other sidewall, said lower portions of said receptacle sidewalls normally being closed and being substantially free of access to said reeptacle interior; and servicing means forming at least a part of one of said receptacle sidewalls selectively operable for opening at least a part of said one sidewall to provide servicing access to said receptacle interior.

2. In a partition mounted container as defined in claim 1, in which said access opening means is a permanent opening formed through the upper portions of each of said receptacle sidewalls, the opening being transversely aligned and substantially identical.

3. In a partition mounted container as defined in claim 1, in which said access opening means includes a hingedly mounted access door on each of said receptacle sidewalls normally closing access openings through the sidewall upper portions, said doors and openings being substantially transversely aligned, resilient means operably connected to said doors normally retaining said doors in closed position substantially closing said openings, and said doors being selectively movable to open positions providing access to said receptacle interior upon the exertion of slight inward pressure thereagainst.

4. In a paration mounted container as defined in claim 1, in which said access opening means includes a hingedly mounted access door on each of said receptacle sidewalls normally closing access openings through the sidewall upper portions, said doors and openings being substantially transversely aligned, resilient means operably connected to said doors normally retaining said doors in closed position substantially closing said openings, and said doors being selectively movable to open positions providing access to said receptacle interior upon the exertion of slight inward pressure thereagainst; and in which said servicing means includes an upwardly opening box slidable transversely through an opening in one of the container sidewall lower portions into and from said receptacle interior, said box having a sidewall closing the opening through said receptacle sidewall lower portion when said box is slid transversely into said receptacle interior, and means operably connected between said box and said receptacle for normally retaining said box in said receptacle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,506,646 8/1924 Kolstad 232-19 1,713,890 5/1929 Clark 232-432 1,800,825 4 1931 Feltault 312-211 X 1,850,292 3/1932 Skelly 312242 2,125,420 8/1938 Bisson 23243.1 2,163,356 6/1939 Solberg 232l.6

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Examiner.

R. B. FARLEY, F. K. ZUGEL, Assistant Examiners. 

1. IN A PARTITION MOUNTED CONTAINER FOR LOCATION IN AN OPENING FORMED IN A RELATIVELY THIN PARTITION, THE COMBINATION OF: A BOX-LIKE RECEPTACLE HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY ENCLOSED, HOLLOW INTERIOR, SAID RECEPTACLE BEING FORMED BY HORIZONTAL, TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS AND VERTICAL, TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING END WALLS WITH VERTICALLY EXTENDING SIDEWALLS CONNECTED TO THE TRANSVERSE EXTREMITIES OF THE TOP AND BOTTOM AND END WALLS, THE SIDEWALLS BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL DIMENSIONS AND BEING POSITIONED BY THE TOP AND BOTTOM AND END WALLS SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSELY ALIGNED, SAID RECEPTACLE BEING MOUNTED WITH SAID TOP AND BOTTOM AND END WALLS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THROUGH THE PARTITION OPENING AND TRANSVERSELY BEYOND THE SIDES OF THE PARTITION, SAID RECEPTACLE SIDEWALLS BEING SPACED TRANSVERSELY OUTWARDLY OF SAID PARTITION SIDES AND THEREBY FULLY EXPOSED; FRAME MEANS OPERABLY CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID RECEPTACLE AND SAID PARTITION FOR SUPPORTING SAID RECEPTACLE IN SAID MOUNTED POSITION EXTENDING THROUGH SAID PARTITION OPENING, SAID FRAME MEANS INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND FRAME MEMBERS, SAID FIRST FRAME MEMBER HAVING A LEG SECURED TO SAID RECEPTACLE WITHIN SAID PARTITION OPENING AND A LEG OVERLYING ONE OF SAID PARTITION SIDES, SAID SECOND FRAME MEMBER HAVING A LEG SLIDABLY ENGAGED WITH SAID RECEPTACLE WITHIN SAID PARTITION OPENING AND A LEG OVERLYING THE OTHER OF SAID PARTITION SIDES; ACCESS OPENING MEANS FORMED THROUGH EACH OF SAID RECEPTACLE SIDEWALLS AT UPPER PORTIONS OF SAID SIDEWALLS AND PROVIDING ACCESS TO SAID RECEPTACLE INTERIOR, SAID ACCESS OPENING MEANS OF ONE SIDEWALL BEING SUBSTANTIALLY TANSVERSELY ALIGNED WITH THE ACCESS OPENING MEANS OF SAID OTHER SIDEWALL, SAID LOWER PORTIONS OF SAID RECEPTACLE SIDEWALLS NORMALLY BEING CLOSED AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF ACCESS TO SAID RECEPTACLE INTERIOR; AND SERVICING MEANS FORMING AT LEAST A PART OF ONE OF SAID RECEPTACLE SIDEWALLS SELECTIVELY OPERABLE FOR OPENING AT LEAST A PART OF SAID ONE SIDEWALL TO PROVIDE SERVICING ACCESS TO SAID RECEPTACLE INTERIOR. 